HOW TO TELL A STORY BY DONALD MILLER TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3 Part One: A Good Story Doesn’t Happen by Accident 7 Part Two: The Structure I Use to Tell Stories 10 Part Three: Breaking Down My Story Structure 16 Part Four: How We Use Stories to Connect 26 Conclusion 32 INTRODUCTION Why does story matter? Bang! You’re Dead creates a “clicking experience” in a person’s brain allowing them to suddenly 4 I put together this eBook to introduce those who want to tell better stories to Donald Miller 6 PART ONE A good story doesn’t happen by accident sense-making understanding how to tell a clear story is this: Stories have pre-decided plots as opposed to a random series of events. Tommy Boy, Star Wars Rebel Assault, The Hunger Games Moneyball A story is the organization of events so as to be told through a set form. 9 PART TWO The structure I use to tell stories Here’s the simple structure I use: A character has a problem, then meets a guide who gives them a plan and calls them to action. That action either results in a comedy or tragedy. 11 Star Wars to Tommy Boy to The Hunger Games Star Wars and The Hunger Games: STAR WARS Star Wars The comic or happy ending happens when Luke destroys the Death Star and 12 THE HUNGER GAMES The Hunger Games 1. Who were you and what did you want? 2. What was the problem you encountered and how did it make you feel? 3. Who did you meet or what did you read that helped you? 4. What plan did you come up with after meeting the guide? 5. What did it feel like to take action on that plan? 6. What could have been lost if you’d have failed? 7. What was the happy ending you experienced? 13 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6 & 7. 14 PART THREE Breaking down my story structure 1. A CHARACTER Examples of heroes in stories: Frodo Baggins (Lord of the Rings Luke Skywalker (Star Wars Bridget Jones’ Diary) 17 Rudy 2. WHO HAS A PROBLEM to encounter a problem early in the story is because the problem posits a story the girl? Will the hero disarm the bomb? Will the team win the big game? external internal and philosophical Examples of External Problems: Examples of Internal Problems: Examples of Philosophical Problems: 19 3. MEETS A GUIDE WHO UNDERSTANDS THEIR FEAR in the sense they understand the journey the character is on and can see clearly Examples of Guides: 20 4. AND GIVES THEM A PLAN you used to think this way but I want you to think another way Examples of Plans: 21 5. THAT CALLS THEM TO ACTION A call to action in a story is the point at which the hero must decide whether to act Examples of Calls to Action: 22 6. THAT RESULTS IN A COMEDY In story structure a happy ending is called a comedy while a sad ending is called a Examples of Comedy: 23 7. OR A TRAGEDY Examples of Tragedy: 24 A STORY MUST BE CLEAR PART FOUR How to use stories to connect WRITING A BOOK 27 IN A SPEECH INTRODUCING MYSELF day I got on an airplane and sat next to a person who was reading my latest 29 UNDERSTANDING OUR LIVES What in the world happened to me since the last time I wrote a book? 30 31 CONCLUSION called Story 33 APPLY STORY TO YOUR LIFE AND BUSINESS CREATE YOUR LIFE PLAN Want to tell a better story with your life? Try Donald Miller’s remarkable process Creating Your Life Plan. Visit creatingyourlifeplan.com today. CREATE YOUR BRANDSCRIPT Donald Miller has created a 2-day workshop in which business leaders come together to create a BrandScript for their brands. The result is clarity, Sign up for a workshop at storybrand.com